"You are an intelligent woman, Ying'er. Don't disappoint me now."
The smile on Yun Che's face extended, and his eyes narrowed, giving an ethereal golden glow as they stared into the immaculate and hypnotic eyes of Qianye Ying'er.
"You are talented, smart, and blessed by heaven itself when it comes to looks. It would not be wrong to say that you are the most blessed woman in the whole Brahma God Realm or even the whole God Realm, standing side by side with the so-called Dragon Queen."
Ying'er did not feel anything when Yun Che praised her. She had been showered with lavish titles her whole life; such praise would never affect her. Yet, the more she listened to Yun Che, the heavier her heart felt. A feeling of bad premonition swirled within her chest, causing her breathing to become slightly erratic.
"Such talent… It would be quite sad if her loyalty didn't lie with the Brahma God Realm. It would be quite sad if she didn't have any urge to pursue strength, and even more so if she didn't use that strength for the sake of the Brahma God Realm."
Yun Che's voice lowered and became slightly deeper, a hint of fake melancholy present in it.
"Instead of pursuing strength, instead of striving for the betterment of the Royal Realm, instead of revering the Brahma God Emperor, wouldn't it be sad if she was just satisfied as long as she could remain by the side of her mother?"
Qianye Ying'er's ample chest rose up and down, an indication of her rapid breathing. Her golden eyes were fixed on Yun Che, and as she heard more, the dots began to connect in her mind.
She was, after all, one of the smartest people within the Primal Chaos. She was someone who could weave an entire scenario based on mere words.
"So, let's kill the mother."
Yet, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil, Yun Che continued.
"And put the blame on the woman closest to becoming the Brahma Realm Empress. Ah, how sad. She killed the mother of the most talented girl out of jealousy. She feared that her son, the crown prince of the Brahma God Realm, would lose his position to the little girl. But—"
Yun Che raised his hand and looked at the sky, as if conducting an orchestra. His voice resonated loudly in the silence of the Flame God Realm, where everyone listened with rapt attention, his voice drawing their focus towards him.
"Of course, the Brahma God Emperor loved that woman the most. He loved her so much that after her death, he made her the Brahma God Empress and executed the evil woman and her son, the crown prince, who conspired against her. But this is not enough, so let's not marry another woman. A small price is needed to be paid if he wants to ensure the girl's eternal loyalty."
Yun Che laughed, the sound of his laughter piercing Qianye Ying'er's ears like the sharpest weapon.
"Qianye Ying'er, what a sad existence you are. You loved your mother so much, yet you dedicated your life to please the man who killed her. Despite your intelligence, in the end, you were still manipulated."
Silence.
Even Nan Wansheng and Zhou Xuzi remained quiet, silently digesting the information Yun Che had given them. They weren't the least bit surprised that the Brahma God Emperor had orchestrated Qianye Ying'er's entire life.
Such a talented woman would have been a threat if not fully controlled. The Brahma God Emperor simply chose the path that would maximize the benefit to the Brahma God Realm—controlling Qianye Ying'er and making her the ultimate pawn.
"Ha… ha… ha…"
Qianye Ying'er's breathing intensified as small beads of sweat appeared on her face. She tightly closed her eyes, trying her best to deny what Yun Che had said. She simply did not want to believe that the man she respected the most was the true murderer of her mother. She didn't want to believe that her entire life had been spent trying to please the man who killed her mother.
Because if what Yun Che said was true, what was the point of her whole life? Her years of hard work? Her dedication? Even more, her promise to her mother… If what Yun Che said was true, wasn't all of it just meaningless?
"Miss…" Gu Zhu looked at Qianye Ying'er and turned his head away, unwilling to witness her turmoil.
He felt ashamed and saddened. As the person closest to Qianye Ying'er, Gu Zhu knew how hard she had worked all these years. He knew how much she loved her mother and how much she respected Brahma God Emperor for elevating her mother's rank to that of a God Empress.
That's why he understood how deeply she was affected by the truth. It shattered all her hopes and dreams, revealing that the reality she had lived was merely an illusion crafted by her own father to control her, another pawn on the chessboard of the Brahma God Emperor.
"You still don't believe me?"
Qianye Ying'er opened her eyes at Yun Che's voice and looked at him.
"Then why not ask Gu Zhu? Ask him if what I've said is true or not. I'm sure you will get your answer."
Qianye Ying'er turned her head and looked towards Gu Zhu. For the first time, her eyes did not exude absolute confidence and arrogance; instead, they reflected a complex mix of emotions swirling within her.
"Uncle Gu…" She no longer sounded cold and aloof, her voice soft and almost a whisper. "Tell me, is it true?"
Gu Zhu didn't look at her, nor did he reply. The Slave Imprint of the Brahma God Emperor prevented him from speaking, so he chose to avert his gaze from her shattered demeanor and remained silent.
"..."
"See? Do you believe me now?"
Qianye Ying'er bit her lower lip so hard that it started to bleed as tears streamed from her eyes. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her skin as she struggled to control her emotions.
She could not lose herself here.
She could not let others see her as a weak woman.
She could not—
"Mother… Ying'er has disappointed you…"
Gu Zhu's eyes widened upon hearing the broken sobs of Qianye Ying'er as he hurriedly said, "Miss, you did not! Your mother would be proud—"
"Quiet!"
Gu Zhu instantly shut his mouth at the voice of Qianye Ying'er. He turned his gaze and glared toward Yun Che. If looks could kill anyone, Yun Che would have been dead now.
Sadly, they cannot. And even if they could, as an immortal, it had no effect on him.
Nan Wansheng's eyes narrowed, staring at Qianye Ying'er, a thoughtful look appeared in his mind before a smile appeared on his lips. For some reason, he was enjoying the broken visage of Qianye Ying'er. It gave him weird pleasure to see the most hardcore woman of the Primal Chaos so weak and broken.
He looked towards Yun Che and thought he wasn't so bad. He was able to achieve something that no man in the whole Primal Chaos has been able to achieve: break the Goddess of Brahma God Realm.
Qianye Ying'er raised her hands and cleared the tears off her face, but the more she cleared, the more they fell out of her eyes. In the end, the most beautiful and strong woman of the Primal Chaos was left in a sobbing mess.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
The only thing left was her broken sobs and her crying for forgiveness from her mother.
"Qianye Ying'er… Join me." Yun Che raised his hand towards her and said, causing Qianye Ying'er to raise her head and glare toward him.
"What do you want?"
Despite her current state, she was still considered one of the smartest people. She could clearly see that Yun Che wasn't someone who would waste his time on a random person; he must have wanted something from her in return.
"I don't need strength because I define strength. I don't need status because there is no status that I cannot have."
He was soon going to release all the accumulated profound strength in his body; it was enough to easily propel him to the Divine Sovereign Realm. Matched with Heretic God Arts, there was not a single being in the whole Primal Chaos that could match him.
At that point, he would become the owner of the whole Primal Chaos; the strongest God Emperor that no one could dare to deny.
Strength and status were something he could have as long as he wanted.
"What I want is you, Qianye Ying'er. The smartest and the most feared woman. I want you to become mine."
In the end, there was no denying that Qianye Ying'er was his favorite person in the whole "Against the Gods" novel. She was also one of the main reasons why he came to the God Realm. In simple words, he was just horny.
"As the strongest being in the Primal Chaos and the future owner of it, how can I not have the most beautiful and smart woman as my wife?"
"Hahaha! Brat, aren't you dreaming too much? Strongest being? Owner of the Primal Chaos? A kid who hasn't even reached the Divine Master has no right to spout such nonsense!"
"I accept."
"Huh?"
Nan Wansheng's eyes widened, and he looked toward Qianye Ying'er, who had cleared her face, leaving tear stains, and looked toward Yun Che with a frosty expression.
"It doesn't matter what you want from me. As long as you are willing to help me avenge that man who killed my mother, I am even willing to be your slave."
In front of the amazed gaze of Nan Wansheng and Zhou Xuzi, Yun Che smirked.
"That's more like it. If you didn't want revenge after all that, I would be disappointed."
...
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